Learning about the personal and intellectual struggles of famous scientists spurred teens in high-needs New York City high schools to do better in science, according to new research published in the Journal of Educational Psychology.

Researchers Xiaodong Lin-Siegler and four colleagues, all from Teachers College at Columbia University, divided 472 9th- and 10th-graders at four high schools located in the Bronx and Harlem into three groups, each assigned to read a different set of stories about Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Michael Faraday, an English scientist who contributed to the field of electromagnetism. 

Students in the first group read about the failed experiments that preceded each scientist’s discovery. Students in the second group read about the personal challenges each scientist confronted, such as the fact that Albert Einstein had to flee Nazi Germany. Students in the third group simply learned about each scientist’s major achievement. 

After six weeks, students who had learned about how the scientists struggled significantly improved their science grades, with low achievers benefitting the most. The students who learned only about the scientists’ achievements had lower grades in science at the end of the six weeks.

The researchers found that students who read about the scientists’ struggles could relate more to the scientists, while students who were unaware of their struggles believed that these scientists had an innate gift or aptitude for science. Lin-Siegler, the principal researcher, said the study suggests there is a payoff for students when science teachers emphasize that success in science is the result of a lot of hard work and perseverance in the face of failure.

The study included a diverse sample of students, including 37 percent Latinos and 31 percent blacks. Almost 20 percent of the students were foreign-born, and a third speak English only half the time or less at home. Almost 75 percent of the students come from low-income families.